Speedometer and odometer for boats



Dec. 11, 1956 H. H. KERSTEN SPEEIDOMETER AND ODOMETER FOR BOATS Filed Feb. 11, 1955 INVENTOR 3 l i7 rai'e'n Z2 x.

W ATTORNEY IIIIIIII) United States Patent SPEEDOMETER AND ODOMETER FOR BOATS Herbert H. Kersten, Fort Dodge, Iowa Application February 11, 1955, Serial No. 487,583

8 Claims. (Cl. 73-187) This invention relates to a novel unit of extremely simple construction which may be detachably mounted on a boat including parts disposed in an outboard position below the water line of the boat and which function in response to the movement of said parts relative to the water when the boat is under-way to indicate the speed of travel and the distance traveled by the boat.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a speed and distance indicating device which may be mounted on either the starboard or port side of a boat hull and which will function to accomplish its intended result whenever the boat is under-way moving either forward or astern.

Another object of the invention is to provide a speed and distance indicating device which may be mounted on the stern of a boat to function when the boat is under-way and moving in a forward direction.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a speed and distance indicating device wherein the submerged parts are capable of swinging upwardly in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the boat on which the device is mounted to prevent the submerged parts from being damaged by striking an obstruction and to permit said parts to yield and pass over the obstruction.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the speed and distance indicating device in an operative position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 22 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the speedometer and odometer unit for boats in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 7 and includes a mounting or securing means herein illustrated as a clamp 8 having substantially parallel legs 9 and 10 connected by a bight portion 11, constituting the top of the clamp and which is adapted to engage over the gunwale 12 of a hull side 13 of any conventional boat 14. The leg 9 of the clamp 8 is disposed on the outer side of the hull portion 13 and is longer than the other leg 10, which is disposed in an inboard position. Said inner leg 18 has a threaded bore 15 to receive a clamping screw 16 which extends threadedly therethrough. A clamping head 17 is suitably attached to the inner end of the screw 16, between the legs 9 and 10, and is adapted to be advanced for clamping a portion of the hull part 13 between said head 17 and the outer leg 9. The other, outer 2,773,383 Patented Dec. 11, 1956 ably secured thereto by means of which the screw 16 can be manually turned for securing the clamp 8 to a hull side. The outer leg 9 is provided with an outturned lower end portion 19 and also has an arm 26 fixed to and extending outwardly therefrom, preferably adjacent its upper end. The arms 19 and 20 are provided with aligned open ings 21.

A sleeve 22 fits turnably between the clamp arms 19 and 20. An elongated headed pin 23 extends through the aligned openings 21 and through the bore of the sleeve 22 for swivelly mounting the sleeve between the clamp arms 19 and 20. A cotter pin 24 extends through the lower portion of the pin 23, below the lower clamp arm 19 for maintaining the pin 23 in its applied position as illustrated in the drawing. A supporting arm 25 is suitably fixed to the sleeve 22 and extends laterally therefrom. The supporting arm 25 is located near to but spaced from the upper end of the sleeve 22. The supporting arm 25 is preferably of bifurcated construction as seen in Figure 4.

An elongated rigid supporting member 26 of tubular construction is substantially straight except for an upper end portion 27 thereof which is curved, as best seen in Figures 1 and 3. An elongated web 28 is suitably secured to and extends longitudinally of a part of the supporting member 26 and has an ear portion 29 at its upper end which extends laterally from the supporting member 26 a greater distance than the remainder of said web 28. The ear 29 fits loosely into the outer end of the supporting arm 25, and is pivotally connected thereto by a pivot pin 30, which extends loosely through aligned openings 31 of the i arm 25 and ear 29. Thus, the supporting member 26 is end of the screw 16has a handle or handwheel 18 suitr swingable vertically relatively to the supporting arm 25 about the axis 30 which is disposed transversely of the sleeve 22. One end of a contractile coil spring 32 is connected to the web 28, substantially below the pivot 30, and the other end of the spring 32 is connected to an eye 33 which projects laterally from the sleeve 22, near the lower end thereof. The contractile spring 32 normally maintains the supporting member 26 in a position substantially parallel to the sleeve 22 and resists swinging movement of the lower portion of the supporting member 26 away from the lower part of the sleeve 22.

A gear housing 34, which is preferably of circular cross section and which tapers toward each end thereof, is formed of detachably connected sections, and is provided intermediate of its ends with a laterally projecting hollow neck 35. The neck 35 is suitably secured in the lower end of the tubular supporting member 26 so that a forward end 36 of the housing 34 will be disposed beneath the web 23. A conventional flexible shaft 37 extends loosely through the supporting member 26. A bearing 38 is secured in the neck 35. An end of the core 39 of the flexible shaft 37 is journaled in the bearing 38 and projects therebeyond into the gear housing 34 and has a beveled gear 40 fixed thereto and loosely disposed within the gear housing 34.

A conventional speedometer-odometer 41 is suitably mounted on the upper end 27 of the supporting member 26 and the mechanism thereof is connected in a conventional manner to the opposite end of the flexible shaft 37 for actuating the speedometer-odometer when the core 39 of the flexible shaft is revolved.

An impeller shaft 42 is journaled in the gear housing 34 and is disposed longitudinally thereof. One end of the impeller shaft 42 extends rotatably through the trailing end 43 of the gear housing 34 and has an impeller 44 fixed thereto. The impeller 44 corresponds structurally to a conventional boat propeller. A beveled gear 45 is fixed to the impeller shaft 42 and is disposed in the gear housing 34 in mesh with the beveled gear 40.

Assuming that the speedand distance indicating deamasss vice 7 is applied to the starboard side 13 of the hull, as previously described, and'as illustrated in Figure 1, and the boat 14 is under way and moving forward or from left to right as seen in Figure 1, pressure of the water against the web 28 and supporting member 26 will cause the sleeve 22 to turn on the pin 23 so that the parts 25. and 26 will be disposed behind or me trailing position relative to the clamp 8, as illustrated in Figures 1, 3 and 4. As the boat 14 is propelled forwardly, movement of the impeller 44 through the water and impingement of the water against the pitched blades of the impeller will cause said impeller to be revolved for revolving the impeller shaft 42 and the core of the flexible shaft 37, through the connection of the meshing bevel gears 40 and 45. The speed at which said shafts and the impeller are driven will be in direct ratio to the speed of translational movement of the boat 14. Rotation of the core of the flexible shaft 37 will actuate the speedometer-odometer 41 in a conventional manner to indicate the speed of movement of the boat and to also record the distance traveled in the same manner that such a unit functions on a motor vehicle. Obviously, the speedometer-odometer can be calibrated in nautical rather than statute miles, if desired.

Should the gear housing 34, the lower part of the supporting member 26 or the Web 28 strike an obstruction, it will be readily apparent that the supporting member 26 may swing about its pivot 30 in a clockwise direction as seen in Figures 1 and 3 to permit the lower part of the supporting member 26 and the parts carried thereby to swing upwardly and rearwardly or to the left, as seen in Figures 1 and 3, for passing over the obstruction. The spring 32 which will thus be substantially tensioned will thereafter return said parts to their normal positions as seen in Figures 1 and 3, and normally functions to maintain the lower portion of the supporting member 26 in a position substantially parallel to the sleeve 22.

It will likewise be readily apparent that the parts 22, 25 and 26 as Well as the parts carried by the member 26 can swing about the pin 23 to position the part 26 and the parts carried thereby to the right of or forwardly of the clamp 8 in the event that the boat is moving astern or from right to left as seen in Figures 1 and 3, and that the device 7 will then function in the same manner as previously described. It will also be obvious that the clamp 8 may be secured to the other port side of the boat hull and that the member 26 may swing in the same manner as previously described to assume a trailing position relative to the clamp 8 so as to function in the same manner as previously described.

The device 7 may also be mounted on the stern of a boat to function when the boat is under-way and moving in a forward direction, in the same manner as previously described. The supporting member 26 will still assume a trailing position relative to the sleeve 22 and in which the supporting member will be in alignment with the clamp 8.

it will also be apparent that the device 7 may be mounted on various types of small boats and that the length of the supporting member 26 between its lower end and the pivot 30 may be varied to accommodate the device to boats having different amounts of freeboard.

Various other modificationsand changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A speed and distance indicating device for boats comprising a clamp adapted to be detachably secured to a side of a boat including an outer leg having outwardly projecting vertically spaced arms disposed in an outboard position relative to the boat side, a sleeve loosely disposed between said arms of the clamp, a pivot member extending through said clamp arms and loosely through the sleeve for swivelly connecting the sleeve to the clamp for rotation about a vertical axis, an arm fixed to and projecting laterally from said sleeve, an elongated supporting member connected to the arm of said sleeve and normally supported thereby in a position substantially parallel to the sleeve, a speedometer-odometer supported by an upper end of said supporting member, a gear housing connected to and supported by the lower end of said supporting member in a submerged position, an impeller shaft journaled in the gear housing and having an end extending outwardly therefrom, an impeller fixed to said end of the impeller shaft and adapted to be revolved by movement through the water, a flexible shaft supported by said supporting member having an upper end connected to the speedometer-odometer, means forming a driving connection between the lower end of said flexible shaft and the impeller shaft whereby the speedometer-odometer will be actuated by rotation of the impeller shaft to indicate the speed of travel of the boat and record and the distance traveled.

2. A device as in claim 1, said supporting member being tubular to provide a housing for enclosing said flexible shaft, said means connecting the impeller shaft and flexible shaft comprising bevel gears disposed within said gear housing.

3. A device as in claim 1, said gear housing being elongated and being tapered toward each end thereof from a point intermediate of its ends, the longitudinal axis of said gear housing being disposed parallel to the axis of the arm of said sleeve, and said impeller being disposed beyond an end of the gear housing.

4. A device as in claim 3, said gear housing end, be-

yond which the impeller is disposed, constituting the trailing end thereof. 5. A device as in claim 1, means pivotally connecting said supporting member to said arm of the sleeve for swinging movement of the supporting member about substantially a horizontal axis in substantially a vertical plane to permit the lower portion of said supporting member and the parts carried thereby to swing upwardly and rearwardly relative to the direction of travel of the boat on which the device is mounted for passing over obstructions, and yieldable means connecting the sleeve and said supporting member below the pivot of said supporting member for normally maintaining the supporting member in a position substantially parallel to the sleeve.

6. A device as in claim 5, the upper end of said supporting member being curved in a direction toward the sleeve for positioning a dial face of the speedometerodometer at an incline and facing toward the forward end of the boat when the boat is underway and moving in a forward direction.

7. A speed and distance indicating device for small boats comprising an elongated supporting member having a lower end and an upper end, impeller means supported by the lower end of said supporting member, a speedometer-odometer mounted on the upper end of said supporting member, means forming a driving connection between said impeller means and the speedometer-odometer, a mounting clamp adapted to be secured to a part of a boat, a sleeve swivelly supported by said clamp in an outboard position, a supporting arm fixed to and extending laterally from said sleeve and connected to said supporting member for mounting the supporting member in substantially a vertical position and with the lower end thereof in a submerged position, said sleeve swivelling about a vertical axis whereby said supporting member will assume a trailing position relative to the sleeve with respect to the direction of travel of the boat.

8. A device as in claim 7, means pivotally connecting said supporting member to said supporting arm remote from the lower end of the supporting member and about a horizontal axis whereby the lower portion of said sup porting member and parts carried thereby are swingable upwardly and away from the sleeve for passing over obstructions, and yieldable means connecting said supporting member and sleeve below said pivot means for. nor- 5 6 mally retaining the supporting member in a position sub- 1,403,894 Christensen J an. 17, 1922 stantially parallel to the sleeve. 2,210,388 Vail Aug. 6, 1940 2,525,639 Bluhm Oct. 10, 1950 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,617,297 Moore Nov, 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,681,568 Cloud June 22, 1954 921,515 Davis May 11, 1909 1,314,718 Tesla Sept. 2, 1919 

